Willie Lanier said he received only one scholarship offer coming out of Maggie Walker High School. That invitation was extended by Virginia State University.
It’s hard to believe. Lanier, 78 and now residing in Kansas City after decades living in Richmond, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He starred from 1967 to 1977 for the Kansas City Chiefs. After he left Maggie Walker in 1963, Lanier seemed headed to VSU.
Fate intervened, and he ended up at Morgan State, which opens the football season as the University of Richmond’s guest on the evening of Sept. 2. At Morgan State, located in Baltimore, Lanier was a two-time Small College All-American.